“Out of 6 billion humans, the troublemakers are just a handful.” –Dalai Lama
“I think governments can’t do much.” –Dalai Lama
“Change in the world comes from individuals, from the inner peace in individual hearts. Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far reaching affects.” –Dalai Lama
Last week I wanted to scream! So many attacks of all kinds on women. I don’t say this often, but I was OUTRAGED by the kidnapping of the girls in Nigeria. There are so many incidents reported in the news where women are attacked in one way or another.
I was already fuming when I saw the link to this article on Facebook the other day, and I nearly lost it. The title of the article is: “Council of Islamic Ideology declares women’s existence anti-Islamic.” And here’s a quote from the article. “As the meeting concluded CII Chairman Maulana Huhammad Kan Shirani noted that women by existing defied the laws of nature, and to protect Islam and the Sharia women should be forced to stop existing as soon as possible.” Ahhhh! Good luck keeping the species going with that one guys. The article is completely unbelievable to me, as a Western woman.
As a disclaimer, I have to say that the CII may be an extremist group. I’m sure not all Islamic leaders hold to this drastic point of view.
It’s no secret that women suffer ill treatment world wide. Some men think we women are commodities to use as they see fit.
In this country women’s rights aren’t much better. The rights women worked so hard to obtain when I was growing up, are being threatened by ultra-conservative men. They think we can’t understand what kind of health care we need, that we don’t need wage equality, and if we complain about the fact that we’re not getting paid the same amount as men for doing the same job, we get fired. Take for example Jill Abramson, former Executive Editor of the New York Times.
If we women stand up for ourselves, we’re labeled as hard to work with, or overly emotional, irrational, illogical. We’re often characterized as hormonal bitches. We’ve been blamed for causing men to rape us, and I couldn’t believe this one: In an article on Care2 on April 29, 2014 titled “Is There Anything We Won’t Blame on Women?”, South Carolina Republican Senate candidate Det Bowers said we’re to blame if our husbands leave us for another woman. I guess men don’t have to take responsibility for their actions.
The thing is that we women are so much more than any description anyone can give of us. Human beings are complicated. It may be that women are more complicated than men, and that’s what baffles them so much. I will be bold and say, I believe women are what holds civilization together.
In 2009, the Dalai Lama is credited with saying that “The world will be saved by the western woman.” Well I’m a western woman, and I’m going to stand up and state in this blog, and anywhere I can, that I’ve had enough of this foolishness. I’m a human being created by God in Her image with a brain to think with, and a heart to love with. And if you’re such an insecure man, that you have to try to subjugate my gender because we scare the bejeezes out of you, well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. We’re getting sick and tired of your juvenile attitudes and treatment of us. And like we always do, we’re going to clean up this mess you immature guys have made.
Here’s one bit of encouraging news that happened just last week. Minnesota has a “safe harbor” law meant to treat girls who are kidnapped and trafficked as victims of a crime rather than criminals themselves. (It’s about time someone realized that!) It’s the inspiration for a new law being crafted by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Erik Paulsen to tackle sex trafficking in the United States. Yes, it happens here too. It’s just one good thing that’s happening to change the way women are treated.
I want to be clear, I’m not saying all men are bad, or think women are inferior. I am fortunate to be surrounded by great men in my family, and circle of friends. Most of the men I know, are mature, kind, and supportive. They’ve done their own personal work, and want to make the world a better place in which all people can live. But there are men out there, like the men who kidnapped those girls in Nigeria, who are delusional. Dare I say they’re sociopathic? Just what is it about women that frighten men so much? It seems to me that’s a key question we need to address.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I can do to help women find their power. Writing this blog, speaking out on the issues I think matter, is one thing I can do. Another is to support women in my local area in any way I can. What I feel is happening, is that women and men are seeing the faults in the way we’ve treated each other. They are forming a web of support for their fellow human beings. I want to be part of that web of support. I want to nurture others, and help turn the tide of human interactions from dog-eat-dog, to cooperation and collaboration. What about you?
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2014
Sage Woman Chronicles 
Well said, Lucinda!!
Felice Dayhoff Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks Felice. You’re part of my support system.
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Amen, Lucinda! One woman at a time, speaking her truth, may help us out of this mess.
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Janet, Yes, that’s the best way for me, anyway. If I were a different kind of person, I could begin a school, or an organization that helps women. But I’m not. So, little by little, I’ll help where I can.
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I can certainly relate to your passion on this subject. It is my feeling that men and women hold equal responsibility. For many years and perhaps even today if an attorney wanted to get a conviction in a rape trial, an all male jury was chosen because a female one would not convict. Their sentiment most times was that somehow the woman was at fault.
Women are not often seen as victimizers however they often are. Men have gotten a rap that somehow they are the only ones capable of violence, nothing could be further from the truth. There are female sociopaths and women have committed heinous acts of violence.
Women have often turned on one another in competition for employment, relationships, and any number of inanimate objects.
As a woman who has chosen not to have children, I must say that far more women then men have criticized me for my choice.
In regard to spiritual matters, I have seen women define the Divine in feminine terms which were frequently used to belittle and minimize men.
My feeling is that the Divine is beyond gender, race, creed, nationality or any other human imposed label. Men AND women are responsible for the choices we make and the actions we take. As for politicians, be they liberal or conservative, each often wants to limit who we are in a box so small few of us could stand. I am responsible for my actions and I have worked for many years to move beyond the trauma inflicted on me by men and many, many females.
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Susan, It’s so good to hear from you. You are right, of course. The real issue behind all our problems is the fact that many, many human beings hate and despise themselves, and lash out in any way they can. I feel like I’m a broken record by stating this again, but the only solution I see to healing the world’s ills is to do our own healing work. I was going to include this reference in my post but couldn’t figure out how to fit it in. Recently Barry and I saw a movie called “The Debt”. It’s about an Israeli team hunting down a Nazi war criminal. They get him but the mission goes wrong, and they can’t get him out of the country. So, they hold him hostage in their apartment trying to figure out what to do. Of course he talks, and one chilling thing he says is, “Why didn’t you fight back? There were many more of you than of us. You just walked to your deaths.” There are more women than men on this planet. We have a chance to help heal the human race as a whole. That means we have to heal ourselves first before we can turn our attention to helping others. I’m only speaking for myself when I say that I’m now ready to be there for others, one person at a time. I hope there are others who are ready to do the same.
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So fantastic well said you are a true writer and a true women of strength. I’m all in with you.
Sent from my iPhone
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Celeste, Thanks, but you have to say that. You’re my sister.
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